Festive Wine Pairings: Tips from Richard Household of Brompton Wines

Richard Household from Brompton Wines, one of Create Food and Party Design’s key suppliers, showcased some superb wines at the Plaisterers’ Food Festival on the 8th November. With the festive season soon upon us, we asked Richard for some helpful advice on the best wine to serve with your Christmas feast.

These days turkey is not the bland cardboard-like dish that I certainly had as a child, mostly at school (I wouldn’t dare criticise my mother’s cooking!). Good quality turkey with all the trimmings is a delight to pair wines with. You have the tender white and succulent brown meat of the turkey, herbs and spices in the sauce and stuffing, sweetness from the cranberry sauce and maybe plenty of additional scrumminess with bread sauce, pigs in blankets, parsnips and so on. All this means you need a wine that will stand out and sing Christmas carols in perfect harmony.

That doesn’t mean big and powerful! I will probably be drinking a northern Italian red. I love the wines from Piedmont – all about power and poise. So maybe a Dolcetto d’Alba or a Barbera d’Asti. If I’m feeling extravagant I might even go for a Barberesco, which is made from the wonderful Nebbiolo grape.

These wines have finesse, elegance, pure fruit of red/ripe cherry, spice, soft tannins and a long finish. Just delightful.

A must have wine for the Christmas pud is a Rutherglen Muscat – a rich, sweet, sticky delight from Australia.

Cheers everyone and Merry Christmas!

Coming from a line of winegrowers, Richard Household has an extensive knowledge of wine and experience in the wine industry. He founded a wine merchant in 1996 which he ran for more than 18 years before merging with another merchant. Richard is the Commercial Director of Vintage Cellars as well as owner of Brompton Wines and founder of the Cambarn Dining Club.

He is very widely travelled and has strong links with independent growers from all over the world – from the famous regions in France through to small growers in Tasmania and South Africa.

Richard regularly hosts engaging, informal tutored wine tastings in the UK and overseas. Two popular event formats are Call My Bluff Wine Quiz and the Ultimate Wine Challenge and are the perfect way to entertain your guest. You can find out more about Brompton Wine and wine tasting events hosted by Richard Household here.